New Right (South Korea)

New Right supporters rally against Lee Myung-bak in Myeongdong in 2008.

The New Right (Korean: 뉴라이트) movement in South Korean politics is a school of political thought which developed as a reaction against the traditional divide between conservatives (the "Old Right") and progressives. The New Right broke from past conservatives, who had supported state intervention, by promoting economically liberal, free market ideas.

Many figures of the New Right, such as Lee Young-hoon have also become notable for criticizing the liberal or progressive camp for their promotion of anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea and their policy for peace and unification with North Korea. The movement was initiated by former pro–North Korean activists, North Korean defectors to the South and anti-communists.[1] Opponents of the New Right movement described this as anti-leftism, military dictatorship advocates, pseudo right-wing, opposition to Korean nationalism, pro-sadaejuui, and Japanophilia.[2] While engaging in activities against North Korea that resonate with many security-oriented South Koreans, they also expressed sympathy to pro-Japanese historical negationism, which elicited a sense of aversion and suspicion toward them.

History

Before the era of democratisation, South Korea had been ruled almost continuously by a series of dictatorships, such as those of Syngman Rhee and Park Chung Hee. These regimes were characterised by stringent anti-communism, ethnonationalism, authoritarianism, and state capitalism, and as a result these attributes came to be seen as hallmarks of the older generation of Korean conservatives. After 1987, following democratisation, conservatives adapted and modified their previous positions in order to counteract the rising successes of left-wing activism in South Korean politics.[3]

Nonetheless, the conservative parties of the old style continued to hold a negative association with corruption of the past for many, and throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, progressivism characterised by support for social liberalism and a soft attitude towards North Korea became dominant in politics. As a result of this, a number of reform-minded right-wing groups known as the "New Right" developed in the 2000s as a reaction to the ascendency of these progressives, whose ideology they considered harmful. Like the old conservatives, they opposed left-wing economic policies and a soft attitude toward North Korea. However, they also attempted to distance themselves from the sins of the older right-wing, which they viewed as stagnant and out-of-touch. Describing themselves as "rational conservatives," these groups expressed a more flexible attitude towards North Korea through a willingness to recognise it as a separate country[a] and to provide humanitarian aid for the citizens of North Korea. However, they balanced this with an anti-communist attitude and a support for human rights in North Korea and free-market economic policies in South Korea. They also rejected the totalitarianism of the past and placed an emphasis on civil rights and liberty; overall, their views were associated with classical liberalism.[3][4]

Initially, these "New Right" groups contained many figures connected to the traditional conservative establishment and as a result they initially struggled to differentiate themselves from old-school conservatives from the dictatorship era.[4] This could be seen following the victory of conservative Lee Myung-bak in the 2007 presidential election; Lee's administration succeeded in replacing many progressive members of government-affiliated deliberative and advisory committees with members of "New Right" organizations. Lee's successor, Park Geun-hye (the eldest daughter of the authoritarian Park Chung Hee), continued to maintain close relationships with these moderate conservative social groups, even as her administration displayed an antagonistic attitude towards anti-government leftist demonstrations and labor strikes.[5]

Unlike the moderate early New Right movement in the 2000s, the New Right movement has become increasingly extreme since the 2010s. It began with the rise of "Taegukgi rallies" (Street Mobilization), who were outraged by the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, which was seen by her supporters as politically motivated. Mainly elderly conservatives, they became increasing disillusioned at the conservative establishment for having supported the impeachment process, an unforgivable act in the politically polarized political environment of South Korea. The movement previously operated via seminars and books then escalated into massive weekly street protests aimed at delegitimizing the liberal Moon Jae-in government, which was further fueled by conservative YouTube channels, which weaponized disinformation, extreme anti-communism and conspiracy theories regarding Park's downfall. New Right scholars began to come under criticism for supporting the historical revisionist and extreme right-wing view of Gwangju Uprising.[6] Critics viewed Moon's engagement policies toward North Korea as either a dangerous delusion or a deliberate capitulation to Pyongyang and argued that his administration was overly trusting of the Kim regime, undermined national security and weakened the alliance with the United States.[7]

In the early 2020s, the movement broadened its reach to disenfranchised young men in their 20s and 30s after having shifted part of its focus towards modern grievance politics, utilizing fierce anti-feminist rhetoric and economic populism to court young voters who felt alienated by the liberal social policies of the Moon administration. Mainstream conservative politics began to integrate these hardline elements, which was a contributing factor to Yoon Suk-yeol election as president in 2022.[8]

There is an evaluation that the New Right movement has a direct or indirect effect on the Yoon Suk Yeol government.[9][10][11]

Political views

The New Right's view of modern and contemporary Korean history is known to be contrary to the view of progressive Korean nationalists.[12] The New Right movement is led by descendants of those who collaborated with the Japanese imperialism and Shōwa Statism (國家主義) during the time when Korea was a Japanese colony.[13]

The New Right movement opposes Korean ethnic nationalism (민족주의; 民族主義) and is a radical advocate for South Korean-based state nationalism (국가주의; 國家主義); they oppose anti-Japanese ethno-nationalism as promoted by progressives, positively evaluated the history of modernization caused by Japanese colonial rule and supported the view that South Korea was founded in 1948, when the official government was established, not 1919, when the Provisional Government was established, which has been criticized by opponents for downplaying the history of the independence movement. The Korean Provisional Government had incorporated communists and leftists into its ranks during specific phases of its exile existence, notably adopting a united front strategy to bridge nationalist and leftist factions. That historical inclusion created a deep, lasting ideological battleground that still intensely divides South Korean politics today.[14][15][16] This came to a head when conservative officials under Yoon pushed to remove all commemorations by progressives and liberals of Korean independence leftists such as General Hong Beom-do due to his membership in the Soviet Communist Party in the 1920s in order to secure aid for Korean independence and instead heavily championed right-wing exile leaders such as Kim Ku (who later fought against communist expansion) and Syngman Rhee.

New Right scholars try to promote pro-American (친미; 親美) and pro-Japanese (친일; 親日) sentiment among South Koreans. South Korea's New Rightists have a strong anti-communist perception of North Korea and a favorable perception of Japan and the United States. They also hold strong anti-Chinese and anti-North Korean views, having viewed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a threat to South Korea economic and security interests and accused liberals and progressives of working with China and North Korea to undermine the South Korea-US-Japan military alliance.[17]

According to South Korean political experts, the New Right movement is based on the Korean sadaejuui sentiment.[2]

Criticism

New Right movement has often been criticized by many South Korean media and experts for being "reactionary"[18][19][20] or "far-right".[2][21]

There is a controversy that New Right scholars support the colonialist view of Japanese people.[22] New Right scholars have been criticized socially for accepting Japanese historical revisionism for Japanese war crimes.[23] Even Hong Joon-pyo, known as a hardline conservative, criticized New Rightist perception of history.[24] Yuji Hosaka, an ethnically Japanese naturalized South Korean, accused New Right of being a new Chinilpa in support of Japanese far-right. Hosaka accused South Korean New Right scholars of sympathizing with Nippon Kaigi's view of history.[25] Lee Woo-yeon, co-author of Anti-Japan Tribalism, was funded by a Japanese far-right groups, according to a report by the Kyunghyang Shinmun.[26]

Chin Jung-kwon, a political commentator, said "Japanese far-right politics is 'sadistic' and South Korean far-right politics is 'masochistic'", and "the 'colonialist historical perspective' is a 'political sadomasochism' directed by Japanese and South Korean far-right as sex partners".[27] Brian Reynolds Myers, an American Koreanist scholar who opposes Korean [ethnic] nationalism (minjok) and supports South Korean [state] nationalism, but criticized the New Right activists' approach as "this is the worst way to install [state] patriotism in the populace.".[28]

The New Right movement is often criticized for its worship of authoritarian politicians in addition to pro-Japanese historical revisionism. In particular, the number of dictators Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee statues, has been increasing by South Korean conservatives, including New Right activists, since 2009. This is contrary to the example of Taiwan, which has been reducing the number of dictator Chiang Kai-shek statues since the 2010s.[29]

Activism

Historiography

One aspect of the New Right that has been highly notable is the recent production of historical studies by New Right-oriented academics which seek to oppose traditional Korean views of history. Some of these best-selling books argue against the overwhelmingly negative view of Imperial Japan and also dispute specific details about the comfort women discussion. Some of these authors also suggest that Japan helped Korea to modernise, both politically and economically.[30]

Conservative education

Some well-known politicians from the "old right" GNP indicated commonality with the New Right groups, including Park Geun-hye endorse the anti-North Korean New Right's version of alternative Korean History textbooks through a foundation called Text Book Forum. The Lee Myung-bak government's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has tried to implant the next Korean New Right version of Korean history textbook for the public school usage.[31] The NR's groups' demanding pressure to use their hawkish Korean history textbooks has eventually make them inconsistently incompatible with the dovish ethics textbooks.[32]

Media

  • (in Korean) Gyegan Sidaejeongsin (계간 시대정신)
  • (in Korean) New Daily (뉴데일리)

Organizations

  • (in Korean) New Right National Union
  • (in Korean) Sidaejeongsin

Members

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Most South Korea's liberals, progressives, and "old right" conservatives consider North Korea to be within the constitutional territory of the Republic of Korea, based on the Legitimacy Theory of the Provisional Government. However, the "new right" conservatives (analogous to Taiwan's Huadu nationalists) regard North Korea and South Korea as separate countries; they are more skeptical of minjok reunification than traditional conservatives.[3][4]
  2. ↑ She doesn't admit she's a New Right scholar. However, South Korean liberals/progressives and most of the South Korean public refer to her as a New Right scholar.[33][34]

References

  1. ↑ Kim, Yoon-duck (2024), Ahn Byung-jik: “New Right a betrayal of the nation? It began as the self-reflection of a former pro-North advocate who had witnessed the reality of the North.”, Chosun Ilbo
  2. 1 2 3 Lee Ji-yun ed. (2021). Politics of Rhetoric of ‘Nation’ in Korean Conservative Discourse: Focusing on Anti-Japanese Tribalism(2019) and Struggle against Anti-Japanese Tribalism(2020). Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information.
  3. 1 2 3 Kim, Hanna; Cho, Heejung; Jeong, Bokgyo (2011-10-01). "Social Networks and Ideological Orientation of South Korean NGOs Involved in the Unification Issues of the Korean Peninsula". Asian Survey. 51 (5): 844–875. doi:10.1525/as.2011.51.5.844. ISSN 0004-4687.
  4. 1 2 3 Han, Yuna (2007). "The New Right: Political Winds in South Korea". Harvard International Review. 29 (1): 9–10. ISSN 0739-1854. JSTOR 43650176.
  5. ↑ Kim, Sunhyuk; Jeong, Jong-Ho (2017). "Historical Development of Civil Society in Korea since 1987". Journal of International and Area Studies. 24 (2): 1–14. ISSN 1226-8550. JSTOR 44510067.
  6. ↑ "5.18 민주화운동도 부정하나?" [Do they deny the May 18 pro-democracy movement?]. 굿모닝충청. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Kim, Sang (2018-10-04). "Moon, a Naïve Dreamer or an Ambitious Facilitator?: The Evolution of Debates on the Pyongyang Declaration in South Korea". Korea Economic Institute of America.
  8. ↑ "Freedom University: The right-wing group rallying youth in South Korea". www.bbc.com. 2025-12-20.
  9. 1 2 "Reframing South Korea's history: Yoon's dance with the New Right". KORENPRO. August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  10. 1 2 "New Right figures occupy 25 important posts in history institutions under Yoon administration". Kyunghyang Shinmun. 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  11. 1 2 "Recent moves by Yoon prove he sees eye to eye with Japan's far right". Hankyoreh. 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-06-16. From allowing the Sado gold mine to be designated a World Heritage without mention of Korean slave labor to "new right" appointments, Yoon is proving that he's sympathetic to the Japanese right wing's stance that the colonization of Korea was legal
  12. ↑ Jung In Kang, ed. (2017). Contemporary Korean Political Thought and Park Chung-hee. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 223. ISBN 9781786602503. Since 2005, conservative New Right scholars and progressive-nationalist historians have been engaged in a fierce debate over the writing of modern and contemporary Korean history in high school textbooks.
  13. ↑ "'South Korea: The Politics Behind the History Wars". The Diplomat. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2023. The president's main ally in pushing through the textbook revision has been the Saenuri party chairperson Kim Moo-sung, whose own father was a prominent businessman during the Japanese occupation and actively encouraged Korean youths to enlist in the Imperial Army to fight in the Pacific war. Kim has been struggling to whitewash his family's history and downplay his intimate connections to the nation's corporate and media elite, and thus has been a passionate leader in the New Right movement, the ideological network behind the right wing revisionism.
  14. ↑ Myers, Brian Reynolds (14 September 2010). "South Korea: The Unloved Republic?". Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "겉은 '민족주의 극복' 속은 '극우 반공주의'". 경향신문. 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  16. ↑ "건국절 논란, 국가주의 vs 민족주의 사이에서". 뉴스워치. 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  17. ↑ "How anti-China disinformation shaped South Korea's year of crisis". France 24. 2025-12-03.
  18. ↑ ""민족사의 모든 반동 결딴낸 사학계 녹두장군이셨죠"" [He was the Nockdu Janggun, who defeated all reactionists to the Korean nationalist historiography.]. 한겨레. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "뉴라이트 10년… 보수혁신은 뒷전, 자리만 챙겼다". 미디어오늘. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2023. 한홍구 성공회대 민주자료관장은 "뉴라이트는 정체성으로 유지됐던 것이 아니라 이권으로 뭉쳤다. 이념 운동이라면 이념의 전파자가 새로운 방향을 제시하고 지적인 긴장감을 가져야 하는데, 민주정권의 반동으로 일어선 그들의 철학과 지식은 빈곤했다"며 "이권이라는 깃발에 하이에나들이 모였던 것"이라고 꼬집었다.
  20. 1 2 "'한국판 신반동주의'를 경계한다" [Be wary of Korean Neo-reactionary movement]. 중소기업신문. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "윤 당선자 '친일·독재 미화 국정교과서 주역' 이배용 '특별고문'에". 한겨레. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2023. 특히 일부 뉴라이트 학자를 포함한 극우진영의 주장을 그대로 옮겨 1948년 8월15일을 '대한민국 정부 수립'이 아닌 '대한민국 수립'으로 고쳤다.
  22. ↑ ""일제 식민지배가 후세 미친 영향까지 두루 보여줄 겁니다"". 한겨레. 23 August 2018.
  23. ↑ Shin Dong-kyu ed. (2016). The logic of Holocaust Negationism and Comport Women of the Empire of PARK Yuha: Challenge against Collective memory and emotion through unhistorical narratives. Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information.
  24. ↑ "조국 "구역질 난다"한 이영훈 책, 홍준표도 "비상식적"". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 2019-08-12. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
  25. ↑ ""일본 우파 논리를 그대로 가져온 21세기 신친일파"". 연합뉴스. 8 April 2020.
  26. ↑ "'반일 종족주의' 이우연, 일본 극우 지원 받았다". 경향신문. 26 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "진중권 "한국 극우는 채찍 맞으며 오르가즘"". Views % News. 8 January 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023.
  28. ↑ Myers, Brian Reynolds (September 14, 2010). "South Korea: The Unloved Republic?". Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2013. The New Right in South Korea believes at last that an official state patriotism is needed. They are trying to revise history textbooks and to change August 15 into a national "founding day," not a liberation day anymore. In Myers's opinion, this is the worst way to instill patriotism in the populace.
  29. ↑ "대만 문화부는 장제스 동상을 없애는데···한국에선 뉴라이트에 의해 부활". 경향신문. 2024-10-07.
  30. ↑ Yang, Myungji (2021-09-01). "The Specter of the Past: Reconstructing Conservative Historical Memory in South Korea". Politics & Society. 49 (3): 337–362. doi:10.1177/00323292211033082. ISSN 0032-3292. S2CID 236898640.
  31. ↑ Song (송), Yong-chang (용창) (2011-09-21). "뉴라이트 역사관 담아라" 현 정부 임기내에 밀어붙이기. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  32. ↑ Song (송), Hyeong-suk (현숙) (2011-11-16). 역사·도덕교과서 집필기준 ‘모순’. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  33. ↑ "박유하 '쥴리' 반박에 박노자 "문제는 학력 위조·사문서 위조 등 범죄 혐의가 있다는 것"". 서울의소리. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  34. ↑ "'원조 램지어'들에 일갈한 민주당 이원욱 "박유하! 이영훈! 류석춘! 조셉이! 그대들이 부끄럽다"". 뉴스프리존. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
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